Palmetto hopes to restore the river once named for oysters

PALMETTO — Nearly two centuries ago, what we now know as the Manatee River was commonly known as the "Oyster River.” Maps from the 1800s referred to it by this name, but as the decades passed, the feature that once defined the river—the oysters—disappeared. 

Multiple factors led to the oysters’ decline, including the commercial oyster trade. The mullocks were even utilized in early roadway construction—Manatee Avenue is said to have gotten its stinky beginnings being “paved” with oysters from the Manatee River.

Besides the overharvesting of oysters and the disruption to the reefs and beds where they once colonized, development along the shoreline, stormwater runoff, and decades of environmental impacts led the river bottom to become covered by a soft muck, which suffocated seagrass and destroyed once-healthy marine life habitats. 

But leaders with the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) are hoping to bring those oysters back and help restore the health and ecology of the river and its water. 

Dozens of artificial reef structures have been installed across a 22-acre section of the Manatee River between the Green Bridge and the nearby railroad bridge in Palmetto, laying a man-made habitat intended to support oyster colonies and improve water clarity. The initiative is known as the Palmetto Bay Oyster Restoration Project.



The effort recently earned the City of Palmetto’s CRA statewide recognition from the Florida Redevelopment Association for its “out-of-the-box” approach to improving both the river and the surrounding community.

But those involved in the project tell TBT that the award only represents the beginning of a longer-range vision for improved water quality, environmental restoration, and public access.

The project consists of 380 dome-shaped reef balls of varying sizes. In total, 76 artificial reef clusters, each made up of five dome-shaped “reef balls” of varying sizes, were installed in a grid pattern across the 22-acre site.

Map location of the clusters of reef balls. Red circles represent the clusters targeted for study.

Courtesy of the Palmetto Community Redevelopment Agency

Dr. Lasso de la Vega has documented crabs, schools of fish, tiny shrimp, marine “bugs,” and even seahorses among the reef balls. “Seeing seahorses here was especially exciting,” he said.

In August 2025, the reef balls were covered with oysters that measured between 1 and 2 inches in length.

Reef ball covered with oysters in November 2025.

A school of zebra fish is observed gathered at a reef ball structure.

Fish and crabs are documented in and around the reef balls.

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The grid formation of the project allows researchers to monitor differences in growth and species diversity at varying distances from shore, he added. “Having the gradient of all the reef balls in a grid—some closer to the mainland, some further into the river—you can study the diversity and the differences between the populations that grow closer to the mainland versus the ones further into the river.”

The Palmetto Bay Oyster Restoration reef balls were installed in 2024, and early data collected by project participants already suggest the project’s success in creating new homes for oysters and supporting a more diverse underwater ecosystem. According to the executive director of the Palmetto CRA, however, the vision behind the project had been developing for several years before the project’s reef clusters were placed on the river’s floor.

Rowena Young, executive director of the Palmetto CRA, explained during an interview with TBT that she joined the CRA after the project was already underway. “In the beginning, sometimes the water conditions would become so severe following storm events or tidal changes that divers weren’t even able to enter the water to conduct necessary testing,” she said. 

“When we first started documenting the habitats as they were establishing, sometimes you might see a small grouping of zebra fish just passing through, but they were far and few between…. but as time passed and we saw more oyster activity and colonies, then we began seeing crabs, larger schools of fish—and different types of fish—it kind of blew our minds.”

Young shared that the project itself was born from a combination of vision, persistence, and innovation. Young explained that the idea took shape several years ago when Jon and Vickie Moore, the architects and consultants behind the project, envisioned restoring Palmetto Bay as an aquatic habitat.

While addressing the Palmetto CRA during an August 2022 workshop meeting, Vicky Moore said the city’s innovation in repairing an eroded seawall along the Manatee River with the first “living seawall” in 2016 played a significant role in inspiring the Palmetto Bay Oyster Restoration Pilot Project. The living seawall is made from large stacked reef balls.

“The installation of 76 reef clusters will provide shelter to fish, aquatic life, and seagrass, and it will provide the oysters with a habitat,” Vicky Moore told the CRA in 2022, adding that the underwater restoration would also lead to notable surface and land improvements, including increasing bird populations.

The Moores appeared at the 2022 workshop meeting to seek approval from the CRA after finally securing the long-awaited permits for the oyster restoration project.

The pilot project had faced significant hurdles in its early years. Although the conceptual plan was approved in 2019, securing permits from state and federal agencies—including the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, and the Army Corps of Engineers—was impacted by COVID and took several years. When the approvals came, they also came with expiration deadlines.

Besides the struggles and delays in permitting, Young also described how the anticipated project funding initially sought from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to support the project did not materialize. Fortunately, the CRA had already set the funding aside, which allowed the project to move forward, she said.

Young noted during her interview with TBT that the oyster restoration project also tied in with the companion efforts at Connor Park, which pre-cleans stormwater runoff before it reaches the Manatee River. “Since Connor Park was already helping improve water quality, it made sense to start looking at restoring the river itself,” she said.

Connor Park, located at 505 Fifth Street West, Palmetto, Florida, opened in 2023. The site features a 500,000-gallon stormwater retention pond that "pre-cleans" stormwater before it reaches the Manatee River. In 2026, the $3.8 million project won a Phoenix Award from the Environmental Protection Agency.

www.palmettofl.org

“We want people to be able to experience this place,” said Young. “Whether that’s kayaking, snorkeling, or simply standing on a bridge and looking down into the water, the goal is to create something that the community can experience and appreciate.”

Young added that protecting the restoration site from accidental damage is the next priority for the project. The reef clusters sit within an active water channel, and while boat traffic passing through the area is not a concern, Young said anchoring could damage or dislodge the structures. The city is working with state lawmakers to pursue legislation that would formally recognize the area, allowing for signage to warn boaters not to anchor near the reef balls.

As monitoring of the reef clusters continues, researchers will track water quality, oyster growth, and the diversity of species taking hold within the artificial habitats. The original plan called for a five-year pilot project, but the early results have already sparked conversations about expanding the effort to other areas of the city’s waterfront.

Young said the vision for the project now stretches beyond the initial installation. In addition to adding larger six-piece reef clusters to the existing site, the CRA is also exploring ways to expand restoration work toward Estuary Park.

“The long-term goal at this point is, we’re not slowing down, we’re not stopping. We’re going to continue past the five years as we push toward legislation to help protect the site,” she said.